Battling Drug Addiction: What Comes After Detox?

Drug addiction is a problem that has been existing for quite a long time now. The sad thing is we are not seeing any signs that this will be stopping soon. In fact, it seems to be getting worse each day and the number of those who are using drugs keep on increasing. This has led the government and many private sectors to come with solutions that help people quit the addiction and encourage others not to ever do drugs.

The challenge, however, is what happens after having the treatment or detox. Does it mean that the problem ends there? Or is there another challenge that these people have to face? Whatever it is, the most important thing is the courage that people take to get out of drug addiction. This is the first step to changing and starting anew.

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Like many states, Illinois is battling an opioid epidemic. Loran Owens, who lives in Franklin county in Southern Illinois, knows what the epidemic is like first-hand.

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“My brother, [when] I was in jail, my brother got arrested and he was in there about four months,” Owens said. “And he shot up heroin, more or less. It was OxyContin and stuff … and while he was in there, he was trying to get help. He was wanting to go to rehab when he left there.”

But Owens brother didn’t get into a rehab program. Owens says he didn’t even make it two days after he was released, and was found dead behind a tire store after an overdose.

“People are dying left and right.”

Owens spent 20 years in and out of prison thanks to addiction. He’s clean now, but he says the lack of resources leads to many people staying addicted or overdosing. During his time in and out of jail he says he saw the same people over and over – and now that he’s out, he’s fielding phone calls from people who want to get clean.

“People looking for help all the time,” he says. “I can’t help ’em.”

The first step is getting off the drug. Withdrawal symptoms from opioids can last for up to a month. A detox facility can help – but only if there’s a bed available. Owens recalls asking his probation officer about getting into rehab at one point, only to be told it would be four months before he could get into treatment. He never got into that facility – he was arrested and landed in jail instead.

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Irish bishops combat drug addiction through parish life, partnerships

Although there are so many ways on how to combat drug addiction, not all of them can be effective. Indeed. The problem has been going on around for so many years now, but there are no signs that it is near over. The number of users is continuously increasing. This is a sad reality but its happening in today’s time. This means that so many futures are getting broken because of drugs.

However, it’s a good thing also that people are not giving up on it. They also keep on thinking of ways on how to combat drug addiction. In Dublin, their parish is doing so much to help with this problem. They have parish life and partnerships as their way of fighting drugs. This is an excellent initiative as this will not only help people stay away from drugs, but will also encourage them to seek help and believe in God.

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DUBLIN – Parish life, peer education and public-private partnerships are needed to combat addiction, said Darren Butler, national coordinator of the Irish Bishops’ Drugs Initiative during an Aug. 22 presentation at the World Meeting of Families 2018 in Dublin.

More than 140 people listened Aug. 22 as Butler described the multifaceted pastoral response developed by the initiative, established in 1997 to address the issue of substance abuse in Irish society. Since then, the initiative has worked with numerous local and national agencies to provide resources for recovery.

Parish and diocesan structures are key to the initiative’s mission, said Butler, as they enable his team “to reach areas many other programs miss.”

Since young people are vulnerable to drug and alcohol experimentation when transitioning to secondary school, the initiative invites students preparing for confirmation to pledge themselves to a healthy lifestyle. As part of their “confirmation commitment,” they attend a ceremony at which their sponsors promise to serve as positive role models. Students are then presented with commemorative wristbands and bookmarks listing the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Panelist David Conway of Kilkenny, Ireland, noted that his parish had created “family fun days” to strengthen both the confirmation commitment and communal life.

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Meth Plaguing Rural Minnesota more than Opioids

There are different kinds of drugs available in today’s time but of course, all of them have detrimental effects. One of the most popular drugs that many people use is opioid. It is very rampant in so many countries, causing problems in so many ways. However, in Minnesota, although opioid is rampant, meth has been plaguing their rural areas. The number of deaths caused by the use of this drug is also on the rise.

Whatever the kind of drug is, the truth remains the same the drug use if dangerous. It can destroy one’s life. With this problem, it’s very important that help should be available and it can be in different forms like addiction treatment centers. This allows drug addicts to know that they should not be afraid to quit because there are people and institutions that can help them change and start a new life.

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The problems of opioid addiction is real and large, but outside the Twin Cities metro, meth remains king.

Treatment admissions for meth in Greater Minnesota have skyrocketed compared to opioids, and deaths due to meth use are on the rise, too.

The findings are part of a study released by the Center for Rural Policy and Development. The report, “It’s an Addiction Crisis,” found that outstate counties are grappling with meth use. 

“We’ve been bombarded with the news of all the deaths from opioids. Our job is to find out what may be the same or different in Greater Minnesota than in the Twin Cities,” said Marnie Werner, interim executive director of the Mankato-based center.

“As soon as we started talking to a few county administrators, we found that opioids are a problem, but meth is a bigger problem.”

She said information on the opioid crisis tends to be statewide data. “The Twin Cities is so large it skews the statewide data.”

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Signs that your Teenager Might be ”a drug addict”

Teenage years can be very complicated and difficult. This is the stage where teens are very eager to try whatever it is that will trigger their curiosity. In most cases, this includes trying alcohol, cigarettes, and even drugs. This phase of life is also very difficult in the case of the parents as handling their children can be a big challenge. It’s like one mistake can make the situation worse. But, there are things that parents can do in order to prevent things from getting worse.

Since teenagers can be very sensitive, it’s important to take things slow but sure. For instance, if you think that your child is using drugs, confronting them immediately may not be a good idea especially if you are not yet very certain about it. What you can do is to look for signs to determine if he or she is a drug addict or not. Below are some signs you can watch out for.

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Addiction, simply put, refers to a form of dependency, craving, compulsion, habit, weakness and even enslavement.

We are addicted to many things, but one source of addiction that comes to mind, is the device that you are reading this blog from. When I am not with my android, it feels like I am missing something; and when I am with it, I find myself always “using” it. I don’t even understand how we were living two decades ago. Ah! I am addicted to my phone; I cant be more than 30 minutes without it!

I have had to fight hard, concerning my battle with Coca-Cola. I am in a good place now, or at least that is how I console myself, LOL! I am no longer addicted to Coca-Cola; but if I have to be honest, I think I am becoming addicted to Diet-Coke. Funny isn’t it? Now, there are “theories” that insist that there is a substance of addiction in the “black water”. I beg to differ, I think its caffeine; and YES I love coffee. There are a number of Coffee addicts in the world, Starbucks can testify.

What of addiction to video games? Remember we have described it as a form of “dependency, and even enslavement”. I can tell you that a number of Generation Z folks, are quite “tech savvy “ and easily addicted to video games.

Some people are addicted to food. Yes, food, and they spend decades battling with their weight.

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